Tree is a beautiful and vibrant celebration of trees and some of their purposes in nature, covering the ways they change throughout the seasons. I love the colors (even though they're occasionally unconventional) and the different aspects of nature that are represented -- birds, bees, rodents, flowers, fruit, etc.

The cut-outs in the pages and the owl make even more visual enjoyment for young kids, and the rhyming text is evocative and linear as it leads us gently through the year, inviting us to observe the different effects that the seasons have on the same tree. 

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author: Patricia Hegarty
Illustrator: Britta Teckentrup
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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Ideas from Nature is a simple early reader book featuring different aspects of nature that engineers and inventors have copied for people to use. 

The clear photos illustrate ideas such as hook-and-loop closures (like Velcro) and the burrs that inspired them, snakes and snake-bots which have a few different uses, architecture shaped like a giant flower, and more.

This is a great way to inspire kids to look around at the ingenuity present in nature, as they grow in confidence with reading.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Mary Lindeen
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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A Seed Is Sleepy is a wonderful nonfiction picture book that introduces children to the wonder of seeds. The illustrations are detailed and colorful, and the text manages to include important information in a way that is meditative and celebratory, without becoming too wordy or clinical.

The book covers seeds of all different sizes and types, and emphasizes the different ways seeds find to spread themselves out in order to germinate in new places. The process of germination is covered as well, and one of the most fascinating parts was a page that mentioned a seed from an extinct date palm tree that germinated after being preseved for over one thousand years!

Even though the book is poetic and quick to read, I still came away from it feeling like a lot of aspects of seeds had been covered, and was impressed again at the utter variety of seeds in the world. I'm looking forward to reading more from this series.

Scrounged From: Amazon

Format: Paperback
Author: Dianna Aston
Illustrator: Sylvia Long
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: None

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James Herriot is unparalleled when it comes to stories of domesticated animals -- whether dogs and cats in homes or various farm animals -- and his keen observations and clear love and respect for animals.

While the stories in James Herriot's Treasury for Children are fictional, all of them feel to me as if they easily could be true, and no doubt he drew heavily on his veterinary experiences in describing these unique animals and their amusing and tender escapades. 

Herriot manages to capture the human-animal bond, even with farm animals, evoking compassion, joy, and sometimes sadness, without sentimentalizing or emotionally manipulating the reader.

I grew up reading "Oscar, Cat-about-Town" and "The Christmas Day Kitten," both of which are included here, and was also introduced to some new favorites, such as "Blossom Comes Home" and "Smudge, the Little Lost Lamb." The illustrations perfectly capture the animals, people, and the views of the beautiful British countryside.

Because Herriot is British and uses some words that might be unfamiliar to American children (or perhaps it's a generational thing as well), and at times can be a bit wordy, some of these stories will probably lose the interest of preschoolers. But it's worth hanging on and trying them again later, because the best animal stories are really for all ages and have no need to be written off as "for little kids."

Scrounged From: HomeschoolClassifieds.com (Sonlight Core A)

Format: Hardcover
Author: James Herriot
Illustrators: Ruth Brown, Peter Barrett
Pages: 260
Content Advisory: As noted, a few stories are a bit sad.

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I hadn't thought about it much before this, but many of the books of animal poetry I've read tend to focus on animals in their more rugged, wild environments, or perhaps farm animals -- but certainly in rural settings. Hidden City is a bit different, providing factual, descriptive poems about wild animals that live near people or make their habitats in populated areas. 

From back yards and living rooms to dark alleys and skyscrapers, this book highlights the presence of animals of all sizes in these urban spaces, and gives a straightforward poem about each one, highlighting something that it does. 

Whether reading about migrating geese that have stopped for a rest, moss in sidewalk cracks, or raccoons scrounging through a trash can, you certainly don't need to live in a city to appreciate these short glimpses into the lives of many different types of wildlife. The full-page illustrations are full of color and texture, making this a wonderful book to share with young children, and help them appreciate not only poetry, but the animals and other bits of nature that are all around them no matter where they go.

Scrounged From: A LibraryThing giveaway

Format: Hardcover
Author: Sarah Grace Tuttle
Illustrator: Amy Shimler-Safford
Pages: 48
Content Advisory: None

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